Silent Sunday: Smiley Tea Cups

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

Silence...shhh..it's Silent Sunday...



These Smiley Tea Cups and Saucers really made me smile today..Just Great!
 

I cannot find a stockist of these beauties...so if anyone out there knows..please email me???

Cheeky and just plain awesome...

*whispers* Oooops sorry it's supposed to be a Silent Sunday post eh? Gosh I suck at this...but thanks for stopping by. Hope your Sunday is being awesome?

~R~

Cups from Cuba!

Rocket & Roses HQ Play List:

The Gossip ~ Coal to Diamonds
The Pretenders ~ Thin Line Between Love & Hate
U2 ~ Dancing Barefoot
Easton Corbin ~ A Lot To Learn About Living
Chris Cornell ~ Safe and Sound
Stevie Nicks ~ Rooms on Fire
Dixie Chicks ~ Let Er' Rip
Doris Day ~ A Little Dream of Me
PCD ~ Sway
Sarah Washington ~ I Will Always Love You
Guns N' Roses ~ Patience
Tina Moore ~ Never Gonna Let You Go
Clare Teal ~ Change Partners
Whitesnake ~ Is This Love?

Firstly can I say a heartfelt thanks to all of you for staying with me of late. It's been a very rough couple of weeks with pain and stuff..so just simply thanks. And can I say your response to Trustworthy's posting on Friday has been so good that a regular Trustworthy posting is being sorted out. But I will keep you posted on this..

Our weekend has been a very busy one as it was our very good friends D & B's Civil Partnership celebration weekend. And it was a very beautiful one...filled with friends, family, smiles, tears and laughter. Oh and over 100 cupcakes..lol Vanilla topped with fresh Raspberries...and Uber Chocolate ones with an tree engraving style topping with their initials caved into them like on a tree. lol. It was a beautiful weekend sadly marred by pain for me...but I held out as long as I could before admitting defeat..just as the wine was being opened..dang! lol. Anyway....

So one of our friends F was staying with us overnight and it had been some time since we'd seen her so it was good to catch up. And she has been on her travels since we saw her last. And she had missed my 40th Birthday party due to feeling dreadful after a 2 weeks travelling around Cuba....she was missed but we understood. And as so much has happened since my birthday I had completely forgotten about it..lol (forgotten..or chosen to forget???Could be either..lol ;-) ) So when handed a bag of pressies from her, late yesterday afternoon, I was a little stunned. Wrapped up inside was 3 books by one of my favourite authors...Wehoo!! Not 1 but 3..how lucky I am? Then a bottle of Blueberry Gin (homemade) was unwrapped...Yum! Got drunk from smelling it..lol Marvellous. Then at the bottom of the bag was two more wrapped gifts...and as I pulled them out I was told they were all the way from Cuba. How exciting..and from the way they were wrapped I had no idea what they were..lol

So I ripped carefully unwrapped the first one..which was a small wooden stand that in my jewellery making mind thought would be great for hanging bracelets on...and when I expressed this to F..she said "...erm Yes..if that's what you want to use it for..." I could almost feel the 'strange woman' thought coming from her mind..lol. Then I reached for the last package..and it felt heavy..and I shook it..nothing..so ripped carefully unwrapped the outer layer of paper and found two tightly wrapped packages inside..the tension was killing me..so I placed one down and then tore into the second one..and inside was three little espresso cups...OMG! Was I happy...huge stupid grin spread across my face...pain was temporarily forgotten as I gazed at these little pieces of Cuban heaven..and I hastily unwrapped the second package and three more sat looking up at me...(I have mentioned I'm a tea cup and espresso cup set collector, haven't I? Huh? lol) Then a second later it dawned on my...not a bracelet tree...but a cup tree and then reverted back to being 4 and played around hanging them on the tree...lol. Little things, eh?

So my friend goes to Cuba and all she brings me back
are these...FREAKING LOVELY Espresso Cups and tree.
lol..Well I had to? No? lol

I know I shouldn't have favourites..but I do in this case...I love all of them but it was the green and blacks ones that made me smile the most. lol.

Just lovely...

See it's not really hard to make me smile..lol. And the fact that during F's holiday she saw these and thought of my up coming landmark birthday and bought them for me...meant a lot. The tale of the actual buying of them was really very funny..as she tried to find someone to translate that she wanted one of each colour instead of a set of one. lol. And they survived the airports and the journey home. And they will be added to my collection and enjoyed daily. Thank you very, very much lovely one!..(that's F by the way..lol)

All hanging and looking great..

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your Tuesday is being kind to you and is scattered with smiles and happy moments...

~R~

40 Things List

Lounge Play List:

Sara Sant'ambrogio - Dreaming Album
(cellist)

As you know..lol..I recently turned 40. I was very lucky to have a very splendid celebration with close friends and family. Turning the big 4 0 was a lot easier than it seemed it would be. Thankfully...lol

I had been witness to others making lists for their landmark birthdays and always thought it looked like fun. A friend of ours made a list of 40 things to do in that year and one of them was eating the A-Z in cakes..I made of few of them for her. lol. Cake addict doesn't begin to describe her really. When My Love turned 40 the list was very simple..40 Gigs! And it was achieved quite successfully and every second was enjoyed. The smile on the face every time My Love came home from a festival or gig was priceless.

I toyed with many ideas for my list. 40 waterfalls were suggested quite a lot as many people around me know how disappointed I was last year to be too unwell to visit Askrigg Falls in Yorkshire Dales..it was a planned outing with our gang of pals. But the logistics of visiting 40 waterfalls in one year would have been costly and time consuming. So I decided to keep it simple with a simple list of simple 40 things to do over the year. Note I have repeated simple a few times in that sentence...lol..because simple..it was not! lol.

I started well and added a couple of fun things...then it quickly turned to a very worthy list of things which almost read like a New Years Resolution list. Very disappointing.  The night before my birthday I had six spaces left to fill and wanted them to be fun things and the stress was incredible. I truly felt I was letting myself down if I didn't finish this list by the stroke of midnight. I finished it..at 11.57...having given up and added a couple more worthy things. But I had a workable list...

So instead of printing the whole list out on here I shall just post a blog about the 'things' as I achieve them. And I'm not off to a bad start if I'm honest.

See Nickelback Live  - TICK!

I found a love for Nickelback 18 months ago and now have every album they have released. I have my favourite albums...Dark Horse can always put me in a very good place. And to see them live was something that I have wanted to do since finding the love. My Love surprised me with tickets to see them when they tour England in October! The 'I got tickets baby' moment as it's now known here. lol If I had been well enough to jump up and down and scream I probably would have done..lol.

My lovely tickets for the Nickelback Here & Now Tour...Wehoo!

My Love was so excited to have got these tickets for me and practically exploded with relief when I finally knew about them..lol...

Find a Pen Pal - TICK!

As a child I always had pen pals and loved sending and receiving the letters and photographs. I enjoyed hearing about another life in the world and the experiences. And as an adult it's a shame that we lose the simple pleasures in life...like receiving a letter or card in the post instead of bills and statements. However as I am not the most patient of people awaiting letters to arrive now would be hard on my nerves..lol. Joking..I am not that bad really..Ahem..I'm not! Uff...anyway I accept these days with the speedy emails that old fashioned pen palship is almost redundant.

I added this 'thing' fairly early on in the list writing. And thought it would be one of the last to be ticked..if at all. And what do you know..it ended up being the first to be ticked off. lol. I now have a lovely pen pal who lives in Brisbane Australia and the life experiences we have in common have been good freaky..lol. But I am very happy with my new pal and look forward to years of correspondence.

I think we should all have pen pals..

Buy a 40th Tea Set  - TICK!

Oh now come on...lol..could you ever imagine a list that I make without tea cups and saucers being part of it??? Huh? lol. No! Exactly...lol.

I have been searching for a very simple but elegant tea set for some time now. I was always hopeful for a plain white and silver set. Last year we found a set called Platinum at a chain store. It was pleasing to look at as the cups and saucers were a lovely Art Deco shape but the finish on the dinner service wasn't that high a standard. To be honest I felt like once through a washing up cycle with My Love and the silver would all be chipped off. (I have lost many casualties to My Love's washing up regime..lol) It was £25 for a four serving dinner serving. Yikes...I know that's not pricey compared to Department Store and designer prices but it was steep for us. So we..I let that set go and continued on my hunt.

Now I have tried every charity shop in the city and surrounding towns for months. Every.Single.One! The day before my birthday we were over in the city picking up last minute party things and we did one last trek around the charity shops on the part of the city we love..and would live in if we had the chance...but nope..it was all garish nasty tea sets that I wouldn't even use as target practice should I be the type of person that owns a gun. Shocking examples. We were driving home and we drove past a small outlet centre and remembered there was a Dr.Barnardos charity shop in the corner..so we pulled up and went inside.

Laid out on a dining table that was for sale was the most beautiful white and silver tea set. I knew it was the one I had been looking for and My Love and I quickly pulled all the servings to one end of the table as someone else was eyeing it. My Love checked it over..perfect condition!

The elegant white and silver tea set..picture quality is my fault but you can see it's beauty no less..lol

The silver trim was off a high standard and the only thing that stood between me and my perfect tea set was the price....It was a six place tea service..so cup and saucers and tea plates which was exactly what I wanted and not a dinner service.

What doesn't show on the design is between the silver trims is a faint lace design..pure and simple

And it was £6.50 for the lot. Fantastic!! So it was purchased by My Love as part of my birthday gifts..how lucky am I? And I felt very good that the money paid was going to a charity that I have a lot of respect for.

OK one last gratuitous shot..lol. The markers mark and sneaky shot of another cup..lol.
My name is Red and I am an addict!! But you knew this right?? lol

Buy a photography book and learn how to take better food photographs - TICK!

I hadn't even realised I had completed this 'thing' until sitting down to write this posting. But if you read yesterdays posting you will know that I have achieved the buying of the book. I have been coveting Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin for a while now and spending some birthday vouchers I was lucky to receive, I purchased it and it arrived yesterday.

I'm a frustrated photographer and can't wait to get started on the reading of this book and when I'm up and about I intend on spending much time practising. Can not wait!

So there it is..four ticks on my list already in the first week..not bad going, eh? It was nearly five as we were going to venture to see Askrigg Falls this last Thursday as My Love's folks were staying up there on holiday but lurgy stopped play. But it's on the list (Visit waterfalls..)...as are 35 other 'things' that I look forward to exploring and sharing with you...

Thanks for stopping by..and I hope your Sunday is a good one?

~R~

Thumb Hole Mugs

Workroom Play List:

Mark Knopfler ~ Mademoiselle Will Dance
Joyce ~ Daqui
Nicola Benedetti ~ Bartholdy: Allegro motto appassionato
Heart ~ Tall, Dark, Handsome Stranger
Adam Ant ~ Puss in Boots
P!nk ~ Misery
P!nk ~ Funhouse
Richie Sanbora ~ River of Love

Image from the web...not my creation

For those of you that follow my blog will know that I have a collection of tea cups, espresso sets and some mugs. It's not a collection that is taking over the house..it's all nicely displayed on one book shelf in my workroom..granted it is a large Ikea bookcase...Ahem!...but still it's nice for me to look at.

I don't just collect any old cup or mug...they have to have something a little different than the norm. Which is why this little beauty caught my eye whilst on the web. I love the simplicity of its design and as that's how I always hold my cups and mugs I thought it was perfect! lol. But it can't be bought...Darn! Apparently the website make you jump through hoops..you have to register with them first...then put in a request for one...then wait until sufficent demand has been reached and then they will release them. And as you know I am not the most patient of people..so my reaction was to click off their site and accept that I shall just have to admire the mug from afar and hope that one day the design will filter down through to regular manufacturers and then I might purchase one then.

Sometimes people make things so difficult they lose business...Ah well. Have you seen this design before? Or something similar? I would welcome any suggestions for alternative websites etc?

Feeling a little dreadful again today...I'm hanging in there but feeling a little lost in the pain. Only 8 days until the hospital appt...I hope something happens then...Gotta have hope...lol

Lol..just as I was typing the above 'Smile' sung by Natalie cole played on my iPod..talk about getting a cosmic kick up the butt..lol. So I am now indeed smiling...reality check or what? lol

Thanks for stopping by...Hope your Tuesday is a good one?

~R~

Oodles of Noodles ~ Tradewinds visit

In the next largest town from the one I live in, is a shop called Tradewinds. It's an Asian store and it has a great feeling as you step inside. The lady, that seems to live behind the counter, is a very funny woman and I could chat with her forever. Before meeting My Love I lived in that town for 18 months and every week I would make a point of going in and soaking up the atmosphere. On the counter there was always a large bowl of fortune cookies and it became a weekly ritual to go in and buy one. I love this shop but hardly ever get there these days, as we usually go to the nearest city as that's where our closest friends live and the best shops are. So I was very excited about going back to visit Tradewinds. 

It very nearly didn't happen as a catalogue of events seem to happen to prevent it but finally we managed to get in the car and go. And everything was exactly as I remembered it to be. We slowly perused every item on the very full shelves and filled a basket with products we couldn't find anywhere else. It was a truly relaxing experience...if I was being dramatic I would go as far as saying it was spiritual. lol. One very exciting moment was when we turned a corner and almost walked into the 'new' noodle wall. It's quite hard to find vegan noodles so when recipes call for them I end up using the same old wholemeal noodles from the supermarket...and to be honest...they aren't that good. So I gazed longingly at the colourful packaged noodles and thought..."Yeah right...they are all gonna be full of eggs or milk!". I picked up a package and read the ingredients to prove myself right....and was so WRONG! Every pack I picked up was vegan! So five different packets of noodles later I was a very happy woman! Oodles of noodles we remarked as we went on to the next section of the shop. 

Tradewinds stash...Oodles of Noodles and lovely stuff! lol 

As an addict knows...it's a constant mistress...so when we walked into the 'crockery' section I was a positively giddy fool. And the products on display were just beautiful in some places...and hideous in others! The prices were laughable but tucked away on a bottom shelf I found some delicate and very beautiful rice bowls. They spoke to me...lol. So I picked one up and braced myself for some ridiculous price and was shocked to find they were £1.50! Bargain! So two got stashed in the basket and we made our way to the counter. 

My Tradewind beauties

Truely divine...I know there should be a help group for me...lol

And in keeping with tradition we bought our fortune cookies at the counter and hastily opened them when we were sat in the car. We don't actually eat the cookies as they aren't vegan but we save them for the Little Sock Stealer as he likes to devour them! 

My fortune cookie

Now I was quite excited when I opened mine and read out aloud...'Luck is coming your way!'. Great I thought...I could do with some of that...until I realised it didn't actually specify good luck! Yikes...lol. So I am going to hope that it's good luck....

My Loves fortune

Now some people may whoop at this fortune! You will inherit a large sum of money. And who couldn't use a large sum of money, eh? But for My Love to inherit someone would have to die and that just stinks. We both agree that we would rather people be alive and happy..thank you very much. So we consider this fortune a 'dud'. Just the way we feel folks...


So we had a lovely escape yesterday and enjoyed many things. We also bumped into an old friend and spent a few hours catching up...it was a good day!

Crumpled Water Cup

No I haven't lost the plot...well not completely anyway. lol. A recent trip out resulted in a new cup being added to my collection. It was with the greatest of humour that this cup has made it into my collection...it wasn't too silly to be dismissed or too serious that it 'just another cup'. 

It is indeed a crumpled water cup design but made in ceramic form. And it made me smile so it was in. lol. So be prepared to see many of photos of this cup in the future with various drinks and ice creams in it. 

I'll have to remember it's not rubbish! lol

Oh over it goes....

Two of my favourite things!!

This weekend My Love and I escaped for a few hours visiting Garden Centres..(I feel so grown up!! lol)..to find rare seeds and seeded blue/purple potatoes to go in the veggie garden. I usually glaze over as My Love reads every packet of seeds on offer! I am always grateful for the distraction of the other side of the garden centres....the china, kitchen stuff and other random knick knacky stuff.

We didn't find the blue/purple potatoes as that seems to be an impossibility in England. But in the last garden centre of the day we did find the most amazing plant pot in the clearance section, so it was very cheap too! Always good when you are on a budget. 

 

Those of you that know me will know that I collect teacups and saucers and espresso sets. And have a small collection of mugs too.  I also love Gerberras...they are my favourite flowers, closely followed by white roses and daffodils. My Love had come home from work with this red gerberra plant last week and it had been sat in a plastic container waiting for a new pot. 

 

I wanted to share this with you as I'm starting a little section of my blog called Teacups and Smiles...and this is the first part.

The perfect pot plant holder (and colour) and the perfect plant! lol. A simple thing but it makes me smile....